Wednesday, July 28, 2010

How Do You Blog?

My schedule for today got rearranged, so I haven't had time to put together the Renegade- Part 2 post. Look for that one tomorrow. Instead, I want your feedback.

The other day, Stephanie of Maybe Someday We'll Be Smarter, tweeted that she had spent 4 hours writing her blog post for the day. I could totally relate, as it often times takes me 2-4 hrs creating some of mine. When I add it up, I spend roughly 15-20 hrs. per week on Chasing Beauty. So, I started wondering...are Stephanie and I the only ones who spend this much time blogging? I'm curious about how you all blog, so I'd like to conduct a little questionaire. Nothing scientific here, I'm just being nosey. :)

  • How long does it take you to put together a typical post? 
  • How much time per week would you say that you blog?
  • How many days a week do you post?
  • Do you write your posts ahead of time? If so, how many do you like to have drafted, ready to go?
Also, are you on Twitter?
I have so much fun chatting it up with all of my bloggy friends, and would love to see more of you in my "time line." Please add your Twitter addy in the comments, so I can "follow" you. And if you're not Tweeting yet...what are you waiting for?

xoxo,
Bren

14 comments:

  1. I spend a lot of time on mine. Especially when you add up research/reading other hot blog topics. I try and set aside a day to blog. Though lately I haven't been able too find a whole day and I end up randomly finding time in the afternoons/evenings.

    I do use twitter. And I don't necessarily use it strictly for blogging. I link posts I am proud of but mostly I think it's a window into my life for my readers.

    Ramblings of a Small Town Girl

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  2. I spent about 3 to 4 hours too, and I update daily, and tweet too :)) ha ha ha ha ha, xoxo

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  3. As you know I have been struggling with how often I should blog because my work schedule was getting busy. Needless to say I picked up a new project at work and have not posted in a while and its killing me. I hope to get a post or two up this weekend but honestly I'm going to have to cut back from my original pace due to time constraints. I only use my twitter acct sparingly and mostly for post. In away I'm glad I do not have the following you have so it won't be noticed as much. I definitely appreciate my fan : ) and hope she continues her wondeful blogging although mine will have to take a backseat until life slows down.
    I always wish you the best, and look forward to your post.

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  4. I try to post 5 times a week, Mon - Fri, and schedule my posts to go up at midnight. If I'm doing a series on something, or like the week I got stuck in FL (lol), I'll schedule several to save on time, but that usually doesn't work out for me. Like right now I had just intended to do all my house posts at once and schedule them but that hasn't happened. Eh, life. So otherwise, I just work on it at some point in the evening and it goes up at midnight. As for how much time each post takes, it depends. Some posts are very quick. Outfit posts are pretty quick. Others take awhile. These house posts are taking me awhile, but I like them so I don't care. Makeup posts take me awhile which is probably why I haven't done many lol. So between posting, reading other blogs, and commenting this takes up quite a bit of time! I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it though :)


    We already talk to each other on Twitter all the time! :)

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  5. This is something I'm really going to figure out now that my schedule just got 40x more busy with my new job! It's going to be harder to keep up with everything, so I need to get a process down asap!

    http://jammer10am.blogspot.com/

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  6. I spent exorbitant amounts of time blogging. It's bad. I have a routine: I tend to be stuck on posts (except for outfit posts) for awhile, so after work, dinner, friends, etc I comment on all of the blogs I follow. Then I return comments from that day's post. Then I brainstorm about what on earth I'm going to say in my next post -- this can take a LONG time. Then I finally get to the actual writing.

    I'd say that in total I spend 3-4 hours a day on blog stuff -- it's practically a third job for me! I suppose it's about a 20 hour/week affair... Phew!

    I've been doing weekday posts all summer but might have to go back to 3/week once school starts! I almost always write posts the night before and schedule them for the next morning -- if I woke up at 5 to blog, my posts would be incoherent.

    I do have a Twitter, although to be honest I don't know why anyone would want to follow my life... It's not super exciting or anything, haha. I'm @winksmilestyle!
    xo Josie
    http://winksmilestyle.blogspot.com

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  7. I feel like I think about my blog a lot! It is always on my mind, which has been great for inspiration etc. I too try to blog 5 days a week, and it isn't always so easy. I am also working on writing short stories which I hope to segment into the blog soon.

    I haven't paid attention to how much time I spend blogging, but I am going to keep track now. You have piqued my curiosity.

    xo Marcie

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  8. I'm loving this!!!

    It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who takes hours to post. And even though I look forward to it everday, reading takes time too. Last night I was trying to get in my daily blog reading/commenting, and dozed off with my hands on the computer! lol! When I woke up, I said, "this is ridiculous!" I shut my computer and went to bed. Sometimes work, life, and sleep takes precedence over the blog, and you know what...it's ok.

    I appreciate the feedback so far, and would love to hear from more of you! And don't forget to list your Twitter name so I can follow you. I've been loving the "almost like texting" conversations with Stephanie, Katie, Jessica, Alicia, and Nivek, when he remembers to tweet. ;)

    Also, I would just like to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication to your own blogs! You all continue to amaze me each day, with your creativity and inspiration, and I feel lucky to have found you!

    xoxo,
    Bren

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  9. This is such a good post - and I'm glad I'm not the only one who spends a ridiculous amount of time on the blog. It's really been a learning experience for me as I balance my blog with work and life.

    I try to post five days a week (Mon-Fri). And the amount of time spent working really depends on what type of post it is. If it's an outfit post, those are the easiest to whip up (maybe an hour or so). But the Tuesday Treats and Friday Finds posts are incredibly time consuming - they can take up to three hours each. (Which is also why I secretly hope that my readers are consumers and buy some of the picks I took so much time to find!)

    I try to do the majority of the posts on the weekend and have them scheduled. But I can never work on Tuesday Treats or Friday Finds too far in advance because I don't want the items to be sold out by the time it publishes.

    I find that the most time-consuming part is commenting. I read everyone's posts, but I don't always have time to write thoughtful responses (isn't that terrible?). I know how much I value comments, so I need to get better at that. I just need to figure out how to fit it into my day more effectively.

    (Completely unrelated: thank you again for posting about the Rebecca Minkoff bag. Mine came yesterday and I can't stop touching it. I'm so in love!)

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  10. Bren,

    This is a great post (ps what's the other new bag??). I would say an average post takes about 2 hours because my wheels seem to be turning well in advance so by the time i sit down it's all hashed out mentally. Usually.

    That being said blogging seems to be all encompassing and sometimes I find myself just needing to step back and re-engage with my LIFE for God's sake!!!

    I'll try to keep track of hours over the next couple weeks and give you an estimate.

    Sometimes, honestly, it feels like a bit too much. wince. I still want to, like, read a book!! But I do love the online sense of community tremendously.

    xoxo,
    carrie

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  11. Hi Bren,

    Great post! I've loved reading everyone's thoughtful comments on the topic. I'm glad I'm not the only one who can easily spend hours blogging. Honestly though, I can't really afford the 3-4 hrs a day to compose, research, and read other people's blogs. I try to read maybe a couple dozen a day and catch up once or twice a week.
    I probably spend anywhere from 1-3 hrs on each of my posts. It almost seems ridiculous to write aloud. I am constantly thinking about topics though - even in my sleep! I don't Twitter because I don't have a web phone but I bet that when I DO get a web phone (like the iphone or Android) I'll be blogging and Tweeting a lot!

    P.S. I SO appreciate your wonderful comments and encouragement (and the other sweet ladies too). It makes that staying up that extra time more worth it. And thx for the tip on the jeans!

    xx Vivian @ http://diamondsandtulle.blogspot.com

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  12. Oh Bren blogging is like a full time job I swear!! Lately I have had to miss days here and there b/c I just don't have the time!!

    BUUUUUT....check out today's post!! It's our VIDEO!!! ;)

    http://www.glamlatte.com
    PS. Feel free to use it as your post for tomorrow (I just saved you hours of work! HA!)

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  13. How long does it take you to put together a typical post? It all depends for me whether I'm just doing like a quote which can take anywhere from 5 minutes to a hour trying to find a great one. If I'm editing pictures, it can take a few hours to get them ready and things typed up.
    How much time per week would you say that you blog? Depending on the week. I never have a set schedule so one week I may spend 1 hour and the next week 6 hours.
    How many days a week do you post? I try to post at least 1-2 times a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less depending on what is going on in my life and how much time it leaves me to blog.
    Do you write your posts ahead of time? If so, how many do you like to have drafted, ready to go? Not usually. I'm big on writing and posting when I'm done.

    Cute blog! & I LOVE twitter. Thanks to blogging of course. @caramelphotos

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  14. What a great post, Bren! I often wonder if other bloggers at times have difficulties coming up with ideas and having the time to return comments, read everyone's blogs that they love, write their own posts, etc. Sometimes I feel like my actual job comes second to my blogging! HAHA. But for the most part, I'm actually really busy at work and don't like to spend my entire evenings on blog stuff because as much as I love it, I have a hard time sitting in front of a computer after I'm home from work.

    I'd say my average blog time is 2 hours a day and I post 5 times a week. I usually have numerous drafts saved that just have an idea on them without anything actually written so I can go back to them when I have time and need a post. It's kind of my own way of saving my brainstorming. When I'm less busy at work I'll try to work on multiple posts at a time to have some waiting for when I do get busy. I definitely spend a lot of time and put in a lot of effort throughout the week. I try to do my outfit and recipe posts on the weekends when I have a little more time.

    I recently started a twitter account and I just started following you! My name is:

    @byValerie

    Fabulous post, Bren! I love reading everyone's comments.

    xo
    Valerie

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